Laney, Francis Baker, 1875-1938

Professor of geology, University of Idaho, 1920-1938.

From the description of Papers, 1867-1938. (University of Idaho Library). WorldCat record id: 42928590

Francis Baker Laney was born near Springfield, Missouri, on April 9, 1875, the son of John Baker and Jane (Alexander) Laney. Early in life he served as an apprentice cabinet maker, and even after obtaining his degree in geology he continued his interest by collecting rare masterpieces of cabinet work and old rare woods.

Laney received his B.S. degree from Drury College, Springfield, Missouri, in 1902, his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1905, and his Ph.D. in geology from Yale University in 1908. In September 1910 he married Minnie D. Towner of Milan, Pennsylvania; they had one son, Francis Towner.

Dr. Laney began his career in geology in 1903 as an assistant geologist in North Carolina. During the 1905/06 school year he was associated with the geography department at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1908-1910 he was the assistant curator of the applied geology division of the National Museum, Washington, D.C. In 1914 he began work with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); at the same time he was a microscopist and mineralogist for the U.S. Bureau of Mines where he worked until 1919. It was while working as a metalographist for the Central Checking Laboratory of the Ordnance Department of the U.S. Army in Pittsburgh from 1917 to 1918 that he made analyses of prematurely exploded shells and developed a more efficient jacket for bullets.

In September 1920, while working on a joint USGS-Idaho Bureau of Mines project in the Seven Devils area of Idaho, he was appointed to the staff of the University of Idaho, Moscow, as head of the Geology Department, a position he held until his death 18 years later. On Sunday, April 24, 1938, Francis Laney suffered a fatal heart attack while working in his garden

From the guide to the Francis Baker Laney Papers, 1867-1938, (University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives)